Therapy or Coaching? How to Know Which One You ACTUALLY Need.
You’ve probably noticed: everyone online seems to be a “coach” now. Life coach, wellness coach, business coach, health coach, confidence coach, dog-energy coach (okay, maybe not that last one, but it feels close). At the same time, therapy is everywhere in conversation too — people share their therapist’s quotes on TikTok, celebs talk about being in therapy, and mental health is trending.
But here’s the catch: most people don’t really know the difference between therapy and coaching. The lines feel blurry. Both involve talking to someone about your life. Both promise growth and change. And both can cost real money — so choosing wrong feels stressful.
🧠 What Therapy Is Really About
At its core, therapy (or counseling, psychotherapy — lots of names, same idea) is about healing.
Therapists are licensed professionals who’ve done years of training, passed exams, and are regulated by boards. That means they’re trained to:
Help you process trauma, grief, and mental health struggles
Diagnose conditions like anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD
Use evidence-based approaches (like CBT, EMDR, DBT, etc.)
Work with both the past and the present to help you understand patterns
Think of therapy as the place you go when you’re carrying emotional pain, unresolved past experiences, or mental health challenges that affect your day-to-day.
📌 Example: If you’re waking up with panic attacks, constantly overwhelmed by intrusive thoughts, or processing the loss of a relationship — therapy is the right space.
🚀 What Coaching Is Really About
Coaching isn’t about healing the past — it’s about building the future.
Coaches don’t diagnose or treat mental illness. Instead, they help you with:
Clarity on goals and values
Accountability and structure to follow through
Practical strategies for career, relationships, habits, and personal growth
Future-focused problem-solving
📌 Example: If you’re feeling stuck in your career and want guidance on creating a path forward, or you want accountability in building healthier habits — coaching may be the better fit.
✅ How to Decide in 3 Quick Questions
Am I struggling with mental health symptoms that impact daily life? → Therapy.
Do I want accountability and strategy to achieve something new? → Coaching.
Am I carrying unresolved trauma or grief that keeps resurfacing? → Therapy.
✨ The Bottom Line
Therapy and coaching aren’t enemies — they’re different tools for different seasons of life. You wouldn’t use a hammer to cut wood or a saw to drive a nail. Both are useful, depending on the job.
👉 If you’re curious, explore both. Talk to a therapist. Interview a coach. See what resonates.
And if you’re reading this and thinking, “Yeah, I need someone who can meet me where I am now and help me get to the next place” — that’s exactly what I do.
✨ Learn more or book a free consultation.
References
Cuijpers, P., Karyotaki, E., Weitz, E., Andersson, G., Hollon, S. D., van Straten, A. (2016). The effects of psychotherapies for major depression in adults on remission, recovery and improvement: A meta-analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders, 202, 511–516.
Messina, I., Sambin, M., Palmieri, A., & Viviani, R. (2013). Neurobiological models of psychotherapy in depression: Toward a multidimensional integration. Frontiers in Psychology, 4, 454.
Theeboom, T., Beersma, B., & van Vianen, A. E. M. (2014). Does coaching work? A meta-analysis on the effects of coaching on individual level outcomes in an organizational context. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 9(1), 1–18.
